A Round of Sound

#10) Sleater-Kinney – No Cities To Love [Sub Pop; released 1/20/2015]

You’d expect some rust after a 10-year layoff, but there’s none to speak of on No Cities To Love, the first release since 2005’s The Woods from Washington girl rockers Sleater-Kinney. Everything about No Cities sounds just as vital as the seven albums that preceded it, and the ability of Tucker, Brownstein, and Weiss to be able to churn out hooks of this caliber with this much urgency is staggering, and perhaps while it shouldn’t be, it’s a surprising comeback that further cements Sleater-Kinney as one of the most influential rock bands of the last two decades.

[“Surface Envy” – No Cities To Love]

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#9) Hop Along – Painted Shut [Saddle Creek; released 5/5/2015]

When I saw Hop Along open for The War On Drugs back in March, there is absolutely no way I would’ve expected the Philadelphia rock band to find its way anywhere near my top 10. Of course, this is largely due to me missing part of their set, and not really paying attention to what I did get to hear, but I also just couldn’t get into lead singer Frances Quinlan’s vocals which seemed to want to sing for a different band. However after hearing more and more about the band’s third album Painted Shut, I decided a second chance was in order, and well, it all just clicked, especially Quinlan’s beaten-down yet passionate vocals. This is a fantastic rock record full of great musicianship, but it’s in Quinlan where this band finds its soul.

[“The Knock” – Painted Shut]

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#8) Kendrick Lamar – To Pimp a Butterfly [Interscope; released 3/16/2015]

The year’s best hip-hop album comes from Kendrick Lamar which should come as no surprise considering his previous album is one of the best hip-hop albums since, I dunno, ever. His highly anticipated follow up is an absolute juggernaut of an album clocking in at just under 80 minutes, featuring intelligent social commentary and an artist completely embracing his role as an Important with a capital I voice of his generation.

[“Alright” – To Pimp a Butterfly]

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#7) Jamie xx – In Colour [Young Turks; released 6/2/2015]

Anyone who is familiar with the work of The xx knows the album art for their two albums simply features a large X overlaid on a black or white background which to me has always signified the minimalistic tone that’s defined their work. On In Colour, Jamie Smith’s first proper solo album, the producer’s album art features what seems to be a random sliver of white in the lower left corner which sure looks like it could be part of a larger X. With these chilled-out club jams, the foundation of what makes The xx remains, but exploding from behind are starbursts of tightly produced lush soundscapes establishing Smith as a phenom in the electronic music scene.

[“Loud Places” – In Colour]

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#6) Deafheaven – New Bermuda [Anti-; released 10/2/2015]

Coming off the brilliant, but divisive among metalheads, Sunbather, Deafheaven was going to be under the microscope for their follow up to either fall back into the metalhead’s clutches or continue to push the boundaries of what black metal could be, and with New Bermuda they do…both! The metal is more metal–double bass pedals! Darker riffs!–but the post-rock breakdowns, and shifts in style still remain in these 5 thrilling tracks and even manage to expand on their sound in pretty impressive ways–90’s indie rock! Prog-rock intros! Oasis! All of this could serve to further alienate their detractors, but it should be lauded for not pandering to the metal community and continuing to experiment and transcend a genre.

[“Brought To The Water” – New Bermuda]

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#5) Sufjan Stevens – Carrie & Lowell [Asthmatic Kitty; released 3/31/2015]

In this immensely personal and earnest album, Sufjan Stevens returns to his folk roots with 11 devastating tracks inspired by death of his estranged mother. I said of Age of Adz–which I loved–that it was the type of album Stevens always wanted to make but just didn’t know how. With Carrie & Lowell, Stevens returns to his bread and butter with stunning results, showing this is the type of album he should be making.

[“Fourth of July” – Carrie & Lowell]

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#4) Father John Misty – I Love You, Honeybear [Sub Pop; released 2/10/2015]

What happens when someone with a cynical viewpoint on love happens to fall in love? That’s the question Josh Tillman tries to answer on his masterful second album as Father John Misty. It’s an album steeped in irony and sarcasm as Tillman wrestles with this idea of love and marriage in satirical ways that only he and his Father John Misty persona can deliver. I Love You, Honeybear stands on its own musically, as these are gorgeously rich and melodic folk songs, but after delving into the lyrics and the paradox within, it becomes something else entirely, a fascinating look at a tender but messy subject through the mind of someone as confused as any of us.

[“Chateau Lobby #4 (in C for Two Virgins)” – I Love You, Honeybear]

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#3) Tame Impala – Currents [Modular; released 7/17/2015]

Eschewing the psychedelic guitar drenched rock of Innerspeaker and Lonerism for synth-pop that could have easily found its way onto Random Access Memories, Kevin Parker has fully formed Tame Impala into his production vehicle, and what results is an album of mesmerizing pop gems. Now, some of the psychedelic elements do remain on Currents, as does that alienating yet somehow inviting atmosphere the Australian is known for, but it’s hard to deny that Parker has created an expertly crafted record unlike anything he’s done before with some of the strongest songs in his catalog.

[“Eventually” – Currents]

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#2) Courtney Barnett – Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I just Sit [Mom & Pop; released 3/24/2015]

I’m a music first kind of guy – meaning the first thing that appeals to me upon listening to a song is the music, and lyrics come later, if at all. Rarely do bad lyrics ruin a perfectly enjoyable song for me, but upon repeated listens I do find good lyrics can elevate a mediocre song to something more. But when top notch music is paired with exceptional lyrics, you truly get something special and such is the case with Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit, the year’s best debut album. Courtney Barnett’s mundane and witty lyrics first gained attention on her excellent EPs (repackaged as A Sea Of Split Peas Double EP in 2013), where her rambling deadpan style took what could be considered slacker rock to much greater heights.

There really is no finer lyricist working today, which yes, is quite a claim to lay on the 28 year old Australian singer/songwriter, but Barnett is able to write subtly clever lyrics that are also relatable and poignant helping to transcend relatively banal topics into something profound. But all of this shouldn’t overshadow the fact that Barnett can write some killer rock songs and play a mean guitar at that. The songs are straightforward, with no pretentions in sight, and just plain fun, making this an accessible collection of substantial hook-laden rock songs from the year’s best new artist.

[“Elevator Operator” – Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit]

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#1) Grimes – Art Angels [4AD; released 11/6/2015]

As Claire Boucher closes out Art Angels, her magnificent fourth album as Grimes, she states “I’ll never be your dream girl”, a statement that seems to be a direct shot at a pop music industry with pre-conceived notions of what it takes to be a female pop star, while also blasting her critics and fans with whom she’s had a contentious relationship with in the years since releasing her breakout album Visions in 2012. Boucher has always marched to the beat of her own drummer, pushing the boundaries of pop music conventions with her experimental DIY vision, while simultaneously claiming Mariah Carey as her favorite musician. So when she announced she signed to Jay Z’s Roc Nation, and shortly thereafter released the EDM influenced “Go” (a song she wrote for Rihanna, who turned it down) while working on a new album, the reaction was polarizing among diehard fans who felt betrayed. The album was scrapped (though Boucher claims it had nothing to do with the negative reaction), and then the waiting began with Boucher appearing periodically to tease the new album with weird little details. The new album became almost mythical and was my most anticipated release of 2015, one that could’ve been a disaster as easily as a triumph. Fortunately, with Art Angels the latter prevailed, as Grimes has released the best album of 2015, a blown out pop record, but pop music on her terms.

Rarely does an album have my three favorite songs of the year, but that is perhaps the case with Art Angels. Lead single “Flesh Without Blood” was the first introduction as to what to expect on Art Angels, complete with a guitar riff that could be found on A Perfect Circle record, and glossy production with scathing kiss-off lyrics masquerading as a break up song (Grimes is done with love songs) which make it my song of the year. Then there’s “REALiTi”, the lone track from her aforementioned scrapped album, a song released early in the year in demo form which was so well received that Grimes decided to include it here even though she says she doesn’t even like it (you can tell her reluctance based on the fact it’s left off the vinyl release). The more polished version is included here, and while the demo may still be preferable among fans, it’s hard to deny that the reworked song fits better with this set of songs. But no discussion of Art Angels can be had without mention of the exhilarating “Kill V. Maim”, which has to be the pinnacle of Grimes the producer to this point. Anyone who has followed Grimes can attest to how thrilling it is to see her evolve into an artist who can create a song of this caliber. It’s an absolute club jam with elements of k-pop where one second Grimes’ cheerleader-like vocals are chanting out “B-E-H-A-V-E Aggressive!” only to be shortly followed by her carnal shrieking of “Waaarrrr!” That’s the kind of juxtaposition which has always defined Grimes; sweetness with an underlying aggression. It’s astounding.

But the true accomplishment of Art Angels all comes back to what sets it apart in the pop landscape; an album with Top 40 ambitions but still weird and inventive and exuding an idea of pop music that’s undeniably from the mind of Boucher. Art Angels is 100% Grimes and not just because she wrote/produced/performed every aspect of the album (she taught herself violin, drums, guitar, keys and ukulele for this release). In this age of female pop music reemerging as a viable music artform, poptimists finally have their landmark album to which they can stake their claim as something authentic, undeserving of the critical dismissal most pop receives. In her delightfully awkward interview with Nardwuar (which, by the way, get better Nard!), Boucher responds to the question of why people should care about Grimes by genuinely saying “because it’s the future of music.” How right she was.

[“Kill V. Maim” – Art Angels]